{"id":30363,"date":"2026-02-04T04:50:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T09:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=30363"},"modified":"2026-02-04T04:51:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T09:51:32","slug":"court-system-on-brink-of-collapse-former-senior-judge-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2026\/02\/04\/court-system-on-brink-of-collapse-former-senior-judge-warns\/","title":{"rendered":"Court system on ‘brink of collapse’, former senior judge warns"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The court system is “on the brink of collapse” as the backlogs for trials reach unprecedented levels, the head of a major review has said.<\/b><\/p>\n

Sir Brian Leveson, a retired senior judge, warned ministers, the police and others that there could not be a “pick and mix” response to solving the crisis.<\/p>\n

Last year,\u00a0in the first stage of the review<\/a>, Sir Brian called for the right to a jury trial to be scaled back and many intermediate crimes to be dealt with by a judge alone.<\/p>\n

His second and final report has recommended 130 efficiency changes, from technical measures to allowing prison vans to use bus lanes to hit court appearance deadlines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Sir Brian’s two reports were commissioned by ministers as part of an attempt to reverse the backlogs that had reached record levels before Labour came into power, but have continued to worsen since then.<\/p>\n

Last September, the backlog of trials waiting to come to Crown Court in England and Wales was 79,619 cases, double the level seen before the pandemic.<\/p>\n

It is on track to hit 100,000 cases by November next year and some suspects being charged with offences today are already being told their cases won’t be dealt with until 2030.<\/p>\n

That in turn has led to victims saying they are losing confidence in the system and walking away from the court process.<\/p>\n

The crisis has deep roots in cuts to spending on courts, judges and barristers. The impact of those decisions in the 2010s has been exacerbated by the pandemic, lawyers quitting criminal work over poor pay while the recruitment of extra police has led to more suspects being sent to court.<\/p>\n

Sir Brian said that his reports must not lead to a “pick and mix job” but all agencies must act quickly.<\/p>\n

“I have never seen pressure on the courts at such an unacceptable level – the system stands on the brink of collapse,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It is failing victims. It is failing witnesses, and on top of that, it’s not even good for defendants who wish to challenge the allegations made against them, but whose lives are equally on hold waiting for the court date to appear.<\/p>\n

“The one thing we do not have is the luxury of great time.”<\/p>\n

Sir Brian’s recommendations include appointing a dedicated criminal justice adviser working directly to the prime minister in the heart of government to oversee efficiency reforms to the courts, prisons, prosecutors and police.<\/p>\n

His 130 other recommendations include:<\/p>\n

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